romanresources Muriel Bourke
  LI 520 Fall 2001
Ancient Rome

Introduction

From the Ancient Greeks, dominance passed to the Romans. They borrowed heavily from the Greeks, added their own developments, conquered much of Western Europe and passed on a rich heritage that has many echoes in the modern world. As you research the Romans, their lives, government, culture and technology, look for ties both to the Greeks and to modern civilization.

Social Studies Content Standards—Sixth Grade

6.7 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures during the development of Rome.

1. Identify the location and describe the rise of the Roman Republic, including the importance of such mythical and historical figures as Aeneas, Romulus and Remus, Cincinnatus, Julius Caesar, and Cicero.

2. Describe the government of the Roman Republic and its significance (e.g., written constitution and tripartite government, checks and balances, civic duty).

3. Identify the location of and the political and geographic reasons for the growth of Roman territories and expansion of the empire, including how the empire fostered economic growth through the use of currency and trade routes.

4. Discuss the influence of Julius Caesar and Augustus in Rome's transition from republic to empire.

8. Discuss the legacies of Roman art and architecture, technology and science, literature, language, and law.

DDC Search Numbers

Ancient Rome 937
Mythology/Classical Religion 292
Costume & Personal Appearance 391
Architecture, Roman 720
Art—Classical 709.37
Biography 921
Literature, Classical 880.9

Likely Search Terms

Literature, Romans, architecture, trade routes, Julius Caesar, Caesar Augustus, mythology

Resources

Books

292.13 Daly, Kathleen. (1992). Greek and Roman mythology A to Z: a young reader’s Companion. New York: Facts on File.

144 p. “The format is accessible, making the book useful for school assignments, as well as enjoyable for general reading…a comprehensive and well-written introduction to a popular subject” 1

709. Dodge, Susie. (1998). Ancient Roman Art. Des Plaines, IL: Heinemann Interactive 37 Library.

32 p. Part of Art in History Series. Timeline, index, glossary. Pictures, discussion of techniques in a variety of media, uses and cultural significance of art objects. Companion book, Ancient Greek Art, could be used for comparing the two cultures. “solid purchases for introducing the art of these two ancient cultures” 2 Gr. 4-8

711. Macaulay, David. (1983). City: a story of Roman planning and construction. 4093 Boston: Houghton:Mifflin.

Chronicles building of an imaginary Roman city. Details site selection criteria and organization. Drawings will hold interest of reluctant readers and English language learners. 60 min videotape is also available. Gr. 3-9. “His brilliantly individualistic drawings capture the essential quality of the Roman character, the ability to organize." 3

937 James, Simon. (2000). Eyewitness: Ancient Rome. New York: Dorling- Kindersley.

64 p. Photographs of artifacts, factoids on wide range of lifestyle and cultural subjects, index. Strongest feature is the photographs. Spanish edition, La Antiqua Roma, available from Santillana. Gr. 4-7 “a browser's delight” 4

937 Moulton, Carroll, ed. (1998). Ancient Greece and Rome: an encyclopedia for students. New York: Scribner’s.

752 p. The 4 alphabetically arranged volumes contain charts, diagrams, illustrations, maps, photos, timelines, index. Based on Civilization of the Ancient Mediterranean and Ancient Writers: Greece and Rom, but written for school students, this set includes information about almost every aspect of Greek and Roman civilization. “An accessible and useful introduction to the subject for a younger audience.” 5 Grade 8 up A bit challenging for 6th graders, but worth the effort.

937 Nardo, Don (1997). The Age of Augustus. San Diego, CA: Lucent.

112 p. Part of the World History Series. Index, bibliography. Details the people and politics around Caesar Augustus. Includes a chapter on the writings of Virgil, Horace and Livy. “Students will find answers to homework questions in these clearly written volumes”6 Gr. 5-8.

937 Nardo, Don. (1997). Life in Ancient Rome. San Diego, CA: Lucent.

128 p. Part of The Way People Live Series. Maps, photos of artifacts, bibliography, glossary, index. One of many books by Nardo on aspects of ancient Rome, this book begins with the political structure of Rome and touches on a wide variety of details of life in the times. Gr. 7-10. Suitable for GATE students. “goes into greater depth than many of the other books available on this subject…A. solid series entry.”7

Internet

349 Lefkowitz, M. and Fant, M. (n. d.). Legal Status in the Roman World. Retrieved on December 7, 2001, Web site: http://www.uky.edu/ArtsSciences/Classics/wlgr/wlgr-romanlegal.html

This site links to translations of laws from various eras of Roman life. Some of the links will be beyond the students, but others are useful for learning about the legal system in Rome, especially family and marriage laws.8

391 Maginnis, Tara. (2001, Nov. 10). Ancient Roman Empire Costume Links at The Costumer's Manifesto. Retrieved November 27, 2001, Web site: http://www.costumes.org/pages/romanlnx.htm

This site has links to sites with information ranging from manufacture to styles of clothing to cultural significance. “This incredibly rich site offers descriptions and pictures of how humans have clothed themselves from Ancient Greece to the present.”9

937 Donn, L. and T. (n.d.). Daily Life in Ancient Rome. Retrieved December 7, 2001, Web site: http://members.aol.com/ Donnclass/Romelife.html

Short informational paragraphs about a variety of topic relating to culture and daily life. No pictures, but text is accessible to less proficient readers. 10

Videotape

937 Ancient Rome.(1998). Wynnewood, PA: Slessinger Media.

23 min. Part of the nine video Ancient Civilizations for Children Video Series. “Presents the history and lives of people who lived long ago by exploring archeological sites and artifacts, architectural structures, artwork, writings, human bodies…find out how their civilizations and their cultures influence our lives today.”11

___________________________________________________________________

1 School Library Journal.

2School Library Journal, May, 1998, p. 156.

3School Library Journal, starred review ALA Notable Book Horn Book Fanfare Selection.

4Hornbook, 1991, also reviewed in The New York Times and School Library Journal.

5School Library Journal, November, 1998, p. 156.

6School Library Journal, February, 1997, p 112.

7 “A solid series entry”—School Library Journal, June 1997, p 141.

8 Listed with Ancient World Web, http://www.julen.net/ancient/ which was access through the Librarian’s Index to the Internet, http://lii.org/search?title=Ancient+ History;query="History,+Ancient";searchtype=subject

9Listed on the Internet Public Library, http://www.ipl.org/ref/RR/static/soc70.20.00.html This site is part of the History Channel.com Network

10Listed on the Internet Public Library Youth Division , http://www.ipl.org/cgi-bin/youth/youth.out.pl?sub=owd5300 and on the Librarians’ Index to the Internet http://www.lii.org/search?title=Ancient+History;query="History,+Ancient" ;searchtype=subject

11School Library Journal, August, 1998, p. 120

Please refer questions to mewbourke@hotmail.com

Content posted 12/7/2001

Formatting altered 12/10/2001
Last updated  2008/09/28 10:22:15 PDTHits  368